Q&A - What is this snake like creature? -Horsehair worm
Question:
This winter I was in the garden and I saw this long creature. At first I thought it was a snake because of how it was moving. but it was so thin and Its tail is forked. What is it?
Answer:
This is a horse hair worm. Horse hair worms are parasitic worms that live in the body of crickets, grasshoppers, cockroaches and some beetles. The adults are about 12 inches long and very thin with a forked tail. The worm eats the insect from the inside until the host dies. Then it emerges as an adult and lays eggs in water. The next host drinks the water and the eggs, and process starts over. The horse hair worm is harmless to people and pets and could be considered a beneficial at it affects harmful garden insects.
Related Resources:
Weird Worms: Horsehair Worm and the Grasshopper Nematode
Horsehair worms
Horsehair Worms, Hairworms, Gordian Worms, Nematomorphs, Gordius spp. (Nematomorpha: Gordioidea)
This winter I was in the garden and I saw this long creature. At first I thought it was a snake because of how it was moving. but it was so thin and Its tail is forked. What is it?
Answer:
This is a horse hair worm. Horse hair worms are parasitic worms that live in the body of crickets, grasshoppers, cockroaches and some beetles. The adults are about 12 inches long and very thin with a forked tail. The worm eats the insect from the inside until the host dies. Then it emerges as an adult and lays eggs in water. The next host drinks the water and the eggs, and process starts over. The horse hair worm is harmless to people and pets and could be considered a beneficial at it affects harmful garden insects.
Related Resources:
Weird Worms: Horsehair Worm and the Grasshopper Nematode
Horsehair worms
Horsehair Worms, Hairworms, Gordian Worms, Nematomorphs, Gordius spp. (Nematomorpha: Gordioidea)